The Presidential Daily Brief

intriguing

Looking for Black Holes Is Tough Work

When searching for black holes, you have to find somewhere almost as inhospitable to look from. Scientists at the Atacama Large Millimeter Array observatory — ALMA is Spanish for soul — not only grapple with the vastness of space, but also with the horrible symptoms of altitude sickness associated with working on Chile’s Chajnantor Plateau, 16,500 feet above sea level. But the astronomers say it’s all worth it for a glimpse of Sagittarius A*, the massive black hole at the center of the Milky Way.